Like other fields of study, teacher education defines itself both by what it includes and by what it excludes. Teacher educators and researchers have spent a great deal of time seeking and attempting to eradicate the flaws in existing structures and practices, but significantly less time learning to perceive the absences.

This anthology of critical readings (for students about to enter the teaching profession and for those interested in carefully examining schools and schooling) features provocative, engaging authors whose views are politicized, but whose writing and opinions matte - not because they are gadflies, but because their ideas work and their achievements as teachers, principals, and policy shapers are so notable. Educational Foundations: An Anthology of Critical Readings is organized around the following questions: Why teach? Who are today′s students? What makes a good teacher? How should we assess student learning? What does a good school look like? How does one develop a critical voice (in the face of state mandates, administrative edicts, and the continuous cycle of reform and retrenchment)? Alan S Canestrari and Bruce A Marlowe′s answers are bold and refreshing. They eschew the unquestioning compliance so characteristic of new teachers. Also, by taking a hard look at traditional educational practice, they serve as models for the kind of reflective practitioners we hope pre-service students will become when they enter the field. The key feature of this anthology are the readings by authors who have discovered their own critical voices so that new teachers can begin to develop their own. These readings offer a platform for discussion and debate that may be used by instructors to increase student knowledge of pedagogy and to provide authentic opportunities for potential teachers to think critically about teaching and learning.

Why teach? Who are today’s students? What makes a good teacher? Educational Foundations: An Anthology of Critical Readings aims to answer such questions by helping new and future teachers develop habits of critical reflection about schools and schooling before entering the classroom. Editors Alan S. Canestrari and Bruce A. Marlowe feature an array of provocative, engaging authors who, as teachers, principals, and policy shapers, provide the latest perspectives in the field. The thoroughly revised Fourth Edition features an array of bold new essays discussing today’s most relevant issues, including diversity, school safety, data in schools, and teacher strikes.

Choosing to Teach, Choosing to See: Critical Readings for Those Entering the Noble Profession of Education provides future and in-service educators with a collection of articles that explore various facets of the teaching profession. The readings challenge traditional perspectives on education, amplify diverse voices and ideologies, and provide a solid foundation for teachers to connect with students and support their educational excellence. Over the course of eight thought-provoking articles, readers learn about developing camaraderie with students, teaching without fear, building a caring classroom that supports achievement, and the challenges of white privilege in educational contexts. Dedicated readings explore community-based pedagogical spaces, literacy development of urban poor youth, and more. Designed to help individuals grow into compassionate, effective, and empowered educators, Choosing to Teach, Choosing to See is a valuable resource for courses and programs in K-12 education and educational leadership. It is also an excellent textbook for teachers interested in pursuing personal and professional development. Ty-Ron M. O. Douglas is an associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Missouri and an affiliate faculty member of the Black Studies Department. He earned a Ph.D. in educational studies/curriculum and teaching with a concentration in cultural studies and a post-master's certificate in school administration. Dr. Douglas' research explores the intersections between identity, community space, and the social and cultural foundations of leadership, education, and sport. Ransford Pinto earned a Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy analysis and a master's degree in public affairs from the University of Missouri. Dr. Pinto's research focuses on the intersection of race and gender in educational leadership, educational leadership preparation in a global context, and educational equity and social justice in the P-20 system.

Publisher description.

We live in dangerous times when educational policies and practices are debated largely in terms of how they fit with the needs of the free market. This volume is a collection of writing by teacher-educators that draws on their unique biographies, experiences and perspectives to denounce these misguided norms. It explores what it means—practically and intellectually—to teach for social justice in conservative times. In a globalised world where the power of capital holds sway, the purposes of social institutions such as universities and schools is being refashioned in ways that are markedly instrumental and technicist in nature. The consequence is that teachers’ work is increasingly constrained by regimes of control such as standardised testing, accountability, transparency, and national curricula. In the meantime, large numbers of students and teachers are disengaging physically, emotionally and intellectually from learning. The contributors to this edited volume present both a powerful critique of these developments and a counter-hegemonic vision of teacher education founded on the principles and values of social justice, democracy and critical inquiry. Teacher education, they argue, involves a commitment to critical intellectual work that subjects some deeply entrenched assumptions, beliefs, habits, routines and practices to closer scrutiny. The contributing authors expose how ideology and power operate in seemingly blameless, rational ways to perpetuate social hierarchies based on class, gender, sexuality, race and culture.

Uniquely bringing together discourse analysis, critical literacy, and teacher research, this book invites teacher educators, literacy researchers, and discourse analysts to consider how discourse analysis can be used to foster critical literacy education. It is both a guide for conducting critical discourse analysis and a look at how the authors, alongside their teacher education students, used the tools of discourse analysis to inquire into, critique, and design critical literacy practices. Through an intimate look at the workings of a university teacher education course and the discourse analysis tools that teacher-researchers use to understand their classrooms, the book provides examples of both pre-service teachers and teacher educators becoming critically literate. The context-rich examples highlight the ways in which discourse analysis aids teachers’ decision making in the moment and reflections on their practice over time. Readers learn to conduct discourse analysis as they read about critical literacy practices at the university level. Designed to be interactive, each chapter features step-by-step procedures for conducting each kind of discourse analysis (narrative, critically oriented, multimodal), sample analyses, and additional readings and resources. By attending to the micro-interactions as well as processes that unfold across time, the book illustrates the power and potential of discourse analysis as a pedagogical and research tool.